In forming a tied coil of elongated, flexible material, such as the cable portion of conventional automotive battery cables, the discrete length of finish product is formed by a series of individual steps which include (1) feeding or paying off a discrete length of the elongated flexible material from a source, such as a reel, (2) cutting a discrete length of cable, (3) stripping a portion of the outer covering of the cable from an inner core portion, (4) coiling and (5) tying off and discharging. It will be understood that the stop of stripping may be optional, depending on the end use.
Prior art methods of forming discrete lengths of elongated flexible material, such as battery cables, from a source of supply, such as a supply reel which may be up to 500 feet long or a multiple thereof, have included, on a continuous basis, the performances of two or even three of the aforesaid steps. No prior art known to applicant however, discloses or suggests a method in which all of the above mentioned five steps can be carried out continuously in one, continuous coil forming operation.